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9 – Case Study

Why Should I Care?

If you wish to study business, or any other applied field of study such as law, or medicine, much of the “how-to” knowledge comes from the accumulation of real-life events. Each “case” can help to build your knowledge base, design your playbook, which you will use to decide what to do when a real-life scenario needs your attention. However case studies are anecdotal by design, which means they cannot be used to generalize insights towards other groups of the population.

Definition

Case:
An object of interest, such as a person, an organization, or an event. An anecdote.

Case Study: 
Research based on one case of interest that is studied in great detail.

Data collection tools: 
All that can possibly apply, except the experiment.

Usefulness: 
Generate hypotheses. Build Profiles.

Scientific Power

Case Studies aim to allow one to learn about a single event, or a single organization, or a single person. They usually generate lots of detail and can be used to further research by providing hypotheses or uncovering new variables which need to be taken into account.

Often, Case Studies are well suited to exploratory research, as long as the case has been identified as being worthy of future study. So they may be exploratory, but not in a 'discovery' stage of research, rather in a slightly more advanced stage.

Most times, Case Studies are used in a descriptive aim. The event or object of study has already shown to be particular, exceptional, or interesting. Researchers will use this method to add detail, and further their analysis of variables involved.

Sampling

Sample size is ONE!

Exception: comparative studies. This said, the tiny sampling is by design and readers should be warned of the caveats involved with tiny sampling. Of course the sampling is non-random, many observations being discarded on purpose.

The sampled phenomenon is usually chosen by the researcher, which makes it a purposive sample.

It would not be appropriate to choose the sampled object randomly, because our tiny sample size limits our ability to generalize findings to the rest of the population. It would also make it possible to choose a less interesting object.

The case is ultimately a very detailed anecdote.

Types of Case Studies
  1. Snapshot
    These are done at one point in time. Take advantage of an event, or rare case, to understand something new.
  2. Longitudinal
    These are done over many points in time. Allows you to understand how a case evolves, what changes, and maybe why.
  3. Pre and Post
    This allows to learn about the Before (Pre) and After (Post) of a critical event. Allows you to judge the importance of a pivotal factor.

  4. Patchwork
    These are done with many types of instruments, which allows you to layer the analysis. The researcher can use documentary research, content analysis, interview, questionnaire, and field recordings. Also termed 'triangulation'. Allows for a holistic understanding of the case.
  5. Comparative
    When two or more cases are compared. Cases may be opposite extremes, or an extreme versus a typical/average case. Allows to measure gaps in qualitative and quantitative measurements.
Advantages

Case studies are controversial. Many scientists refuse to use them as a scientific method, given their low sample size. Many scientists will be quick to accuse the case data to be 'anecdotal'.

This said, there are many advantages to case studies.

  1. Detail
    By focusing only on one object, such as a company, a person, or a city, the researcher spends more time detailing the aspects of that object which make it unique, or worthy of interest.

  2. Inductive Process
    The researcher builds knowledge from observations, rather than deducting a missing part from a supposed whole. This method is grounded in observation, in reality, which is an advantage. It cannot be dismissed as theoretical, or artificial, such as a model, or mathematical deduction.

  3. Outliers and Crazy Cases
    Much research has to do with how most people behave, or think. Scientists are interested in the central tendencies, the averages. However, this way of studying behaviour misses the extreme cases, the rare cases, the outliers, and even the unthinkable, unpredictable, unfathomable cases. When such a rarity occurs, it is important to study it, because it is so different from the average.
Disadvantages
  1. Tiny Sample
    The sample is anecdotal and results cannot be generalized to the rest of the population.
  2. Temptation of Rhetoric
    There is a danger for the scientist to become enthused with the subject because they have focused so much on it, and added such detail. The writing may become closer to an argument, than academic tone. Scientific detachment must be preserved.
Preferred Disciplines

 Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, Psychology

Other Non-scientific Disciplines

Applications in Journalism, Business Administration, Law, Medicine, Engineering

Not useful for

Economists, Historians


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